Parallel Lines
by All Mighty Terrestrial
Summary: Done! xover, ONLY B.B. KNOWLEDGE REQ! Terry confronts a splicer thief who isn't entirely what he seems. 1st B.B. fic, PLEASE RR
1. Sector 1

"You're not doing this again

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to the cartoon makers and the comic books.I've just misappropriated them for a while.Don't sue.As always, I claim no knowledge of anything medical or technical, and I'll apologize now for any inconsistencies.

Note: This WILL BE a crossover, but it won't be obvious until the very end.ONLY BATMAN BEYOND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED!So don't freak out.

Flames… Pretty flames… Or there will be, once you send them.Review @ little box on the bottom. send

Parallel Lines 

"You're not doing this again.Not this time," Dana insisted, slamming the front door to her house and standing in front of it so I couldn't get out.

"Dana?Is everything all right?" Mr. Tan asked, poking his head out of his office.

"Fine, Dad.Terry and I just have some _things_ we need to discuss," she said, glaring at me.

Mr. Tan gave me that same glare before sliding silently back to his office.Guess I know now where she gets it from.I stuck my hand behind Dana's right shoulder and tried to edge her out of the way, but she wouldn't budge.I sighed.Why aren't my problems as easy to solve as Batman's?A bat-a-rang here, a well placed kick there, and they're all dressed up and ready for the cops.The only difference is, those problems want to slag you, and Dana doesn't.Well, maybe she does.

"Look, it's not like I have a choice," I started.

"Yes, you do have a choice," she said, pressing herself flatter against the door.

"Mr. Wayne…" I started, holding up the phone to her like if I waved it just right she might vanish.

"Mr. Wayne can go slag himself," she snapped. 

Whoa.I think I took a step back.My eyes flicked around looking for a quick exit.Then I realized I was actually thinking about diving out a window to get away from Dana.I wonder what she would do if I tried.I got a mental picture of her chasing me down the street in her little blue dress and heels, screaming and waving a thousand dollar statue over her head.Try explaining _that _one.Max and the twip would never let me live it down.

"_One night_, Terry.You owe yourself that much," Dana said, trying to make her voice compassionate, even though she was still mad.I guess she saw the thinking about running part.

"I can't," I said, picking up my bag.

"Then explain it to me.Explain what's so important that you haven't had a night off here since working for Mr. Wayne._You _owe _me _that much," she said, the steel coming back into her voice a little bit.

"Dana, if I knew what to say to make you understand, believe me, I would," I said, leaning down just enough so our eyes met.

She made a little snarl noise and shook her head."Fine," she said, moving away from the door.I reached for the handle."But if you leave, you're not coming back," she continued.I turned around and looked at her.She was standing in the foyer, half turned, her arms crossed."I mean it this time, Terry.Either you explain this to me, or we're through."

A hundred things to say flashed through my head, and none of them seemed right.I was tired.And angry.At me, at Dana, at Wayne, at… at _everything_.Then one thought spoke up past all the others clamoring around inside my head.**She deserves better than this**.I fixed on it, turned it over in my head.She does.Batman wasn't meant to have a personal life, not when so much was at stake.Not when _her _life was at stake.Wayne was right.As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.I swallowed, and dragged all the anger and indifference I had in me up to the surface.

"Fine.I was running out of good excuses anyway," I said coldly.

I opened the door and walked out without looking back.She didn't come after me.I was half hoping she would.A wind came up, and I pulled my coat a little tighter.I thought I had done some tough stuff as Batman.I was wrong.This was by far the toughest thing I'd ever done.

Ace came up to sniff my hand as I went into the bat-cave.I gave him a quick pat on the head.Wayne was in front of the computer.Humph, didn't even turn around.Typical. I changed into the bat-suit.

"You're late," he said.I dropped my stuff on the floor.He turned around in his chair, the master on his throne."What happened?" he asked.

"I was with Dana," I said shortly.He nodded, in that all knowing way that made me wish this thing shot laser death rays out of the eye sockets.

"You two had another fight?" he asked, calmly. 

I felt my hands balling up into fists.I forced them to relax."What did you want to see me about?" I said, fighting for a normal tone.

"It's not wise to fight crime with other things on your mind," he said, with a slight reprimand in his voice.Well, if you were worried about me having other things on my mind, then **_why am I here? _**

**_ _**

**__**"I'm fine," I snapped.

His eyebrow went up.I pushed around him and leaned forward to look at the screen.Calls me down here like it's some emergency, then strings me along like I have nothing better to do…I slammed my hands palms down on the edge of the computer keyboard harder than I meant to. I glanced back at him.He folded his hands around the top of his cane and waited.

"We broke up.I'm here.What do you want?" I said impatiently.

He leaned forward slightly."Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, carefully.

"No," I said, curtly.

He studied me for a second, then slowly reached forward and brought up a security alert."The security cameras at Wayne-Powers chemical division stopped working.It may just be a glitch for that sector, but it doesn't feel right."

I almost snorted.Protecting your own interests, Bruce?"I'll go check it out," I said instead, walking towards the bat-wing.

"McGuinness!"

I stopped.

"Be careful.Stay alert," he said, eyes never leaving the screen.

"Since when am I ever anything else?" I said, sounding as cocky as possible.I could almost hear his eyes rolling up in his head.Good.At least I'm not the only one who's annoyed.I slid into the seat of the bat-wing and closed the hatch.Actually, beating up bad guys sounds good.Beating up bad guys sounds great.Anything to get my mind off… well, you know.

I slid inside Wayne-Powers and perched on the wall.Everything looked okay…I glanced to where the camera was.Whoa.

"You getting this?" I whispered.

"Yeah."

It looked like someone had taken the camera in one hand and squeezed it like Matt's old Play Clay."Aside from the camera getting slagged, you'd never even know anybody was here," I muttered.

Wayne made a little noise.

I slipped off the wall to take a closer look at one of the cabinets.It was open.

"Someone got the keypad.Did a good job, too," I said softly.

I thought I heard a soft scrape coming from somewhere.I took a quick look around.Didn't see anything.I checked the other cabinets around me.They were sealed up tight.I looked inside the cabinet.Everything was lined up in little rows, some of which were obviously missing a bottle or two.I started to get frustrated.Just a bunch of random chemicals; why would anyone…Then one of the names caught my eye.

"Wait.Isn't this used in anti-psychotics?" I said, holding up the bottle.

"Yes," Wayne answered, a smile in his voice.One bat-treat for me."And the remaining chemicals are used to combat side effects in DNA recombination procedures," he finished.

I let that sink in."Someone's got a psycho splicer on their hands," I said, grimly.

"That's what it looks like," he confirmed.

I heard the scraping noise again.I stood still, and put the bottle back slowly.

"What's the matter?" Wayne asked.

"I don't think I'm alone," I said, a second before my head slammed into the front of the cabinet.

I threw my left elbow back as hard as I could.The only answer I got was a hiss and another slam into the cabinet.I swung my head back and connected with something hard, and stuck my foot behind its leg as it took a step back.The whatever-it-was fell, crashing into a stool on its way down.It was human from the shape, dressed all in black.Maybe he's just a hired thug.I swung my right hand down in a punch, but it reached up with a fist and caught it.I pushed, but the fist held.Jeez, this guy's strong.Then his foot came out and caught me in the stomach.My breath came out in a whoosh.Then he used his foot and my arm to throw me over his head.I landed shoulders first on the floor, almost breaking my neck, and slid on my back into the wall.He was instantly on his feet, and jumped halfway across the room to land at my feet.Okay, definitely not human.I forced myself to my feet quickly, trying to ignore the burning in my lungs.We stared at each other for a few seconds.He cocked his head at me, like Ace when he was thinking.Then his left foot came up in a roundhouse kick that slammed me down into a steel table and knocked me out cold.

I saw spots when I woke up, spots that formed into the lights of the bat-cave.Wayne was standing over me.I tried to sit up.Pain shot across the fronts of my ribs.Okay, not a good idea.Also not what I had in mind when I went out tonight.

"Are you having trouble focusing?" Wayne asked.

"No, but my ribs really hurt."

He poked at the spots on my ribs already starting to turn yellow.I gasped.

"You may need an x-ray," he said.

"I'll be fine," I muttered, sliding off the bench.Pain shot through my ribs and back.I tried to stand up straight, and doubled over, struggling for air.

"That's it, you're going to the hospital," Wayne said, tucking my arm over his shoulder.He helped me into my street clothes and up to the car.

******************************************************************************

Shaking hands mixed the chemicals.The human-like creature was getting antsy.The doubt was setting in, the guilt.Poor kid.If only he hadn't gotten in the way…An image tried to force its way to the front of his mind, a broken body gasping on the floor…

"No!" he yelled, shoving that picture away.He grabbed at the bottle and drank the contents in one gulp.He sat, waiting for it to take effect.

"I'm Daniel.I'm Daniel," he repeated, over and over and over as he waited for the pain to subside.He licked the last drops off his lips and smiled.Ah, that was better.Those feelings, what were they called?Guilt?Weakness?Yes, they were all gone now.

"Are you restocked?" Daniel's employer asked from the doorway.

"Yes.The fact that you have taken this little side effect in stride is much appreciated," he answered.

"Well, nothing worth its weight in gold comes without a few strings attached," the employer smiled.Daniel did not return the smile, but nodded gracefully.The employer sat down."How did you and Batman get along?"

"Better than expected.I believe we are ready to proceed, with your permission."

The employer's smile broadened."By all means, Mr. Daniel.By all means."

**_Next chapter will be up as soon as I revise it.Later today or tomorrow, maybe._**


	2. Sector 2

**_Chapter 2, as promised. It's not my fault the server went down._**

  
My ribs were cracked, not broken. Mom chewed out Mr. Wayne pretty good when she and Matt showed up at the hospital. I don't know what he said happened, but I could hear her through the door.

"What do you _do _to him over there? Beat him with your cane?" she yelled.   


Matt came waltzing into the room and jumped on the bed, right on top of my stomach.   


"Get off!" I snapped, shoving him to the floor.   


I gasped for air, and Matt just watched quietly, his beady little eyes peeking over the side of the bed.   


"You're really hurt, huh?" he asked, in a more cautious way.   


"_Yes_," I said firmly.   


He crawled back up on the bed, but slower and didn't try to sit on me. "Mr. Wayne says you slipped on the stairs," he said, quietly.   


"Yeah, I did," I said, leaning back against the pillow.   


"Mom's going to make you quit," he said, trying to hide his eagerness. Didn't quite work.   


"_What?! _She can't do that!" I said, struggling to sit up.   


Just then, Mom came into the room. She sat on the edge of the bed. "The doctors say you're going to be fine. All you need is a few day's rest," she said, smoothing my hair.   


"Yeah, I heard already," I muttered.   


Matt was just waiting for Mom to tell me off. He was quivering like a terrier.   


"Matt, honey, go outside," she said sweetly to him.   


"But Moommm," he whined.   


"Now."   


He grumbled and left. I grinned.   
  


Mom got my attention again by straightening up and folding her hands in her lap. "I would like you to quit your job," she said.   


I closed my eyes and tried to hide my disappointment. I couldn't quit. Even if I had to sneak out every night…   


"But I'm not going to force you to do anything," she finished.   


I opened my eyes again and stared at her.   


"I don't pretend to understand everything, but I do understand what this job means to you," she said. Her eyes got a far away look, and she said, "He was very much like you."   


"You mean Dad?" I said, straining to meet her gaze.   


"Of course," she said briskly, smiling and patting my hand. I started to say something, but she cut me off. "Matt and I will come back another time. You need your rest." She gave my hand a squeeze and left me alone to my thoughts.   


I furrowed my brow. _Had _she meant Dad? Or was there someone else?   
  
  
  


Max came by later with my homework. "Hey," she said, sitting down.   


"Hey," I answered.   


"You don't look so shway."   


"Don't feel so shway." Is there a point coming up sometime soon, or are you here to make me feel better?   


"The whole school's talking about how you broke up with Dana," she said, carefully.   


Oh. So that's it. I nodded, trying to push the emptiness away again.   


"Did you really jump out the window?" she asked suddenly, leaning forward.   


"_What?!_"   


She shrugged. "Someone started a rumor that you were depressed and jumped out the window, and that's why you're in the hospital."   


"No, I was working," I said, disgusted.   


"Must have been somebad guy," she said, looking over the bandages.   


"Splicer."   


She nodded understandingly. "What was he after?"   


"Anti-psychotics."   


"You _serious?_" she said, laughing.   


I nodded.   


She stopped laughing. "You want me to see what I can dig up?" she asked.   


"Wayne's already working on it. I want you to look into something else for me."   


"Sure."   


"I want you to find out everything you can about my mom."   


"Your _mom?_" she said, eyebrows raised.   


"Yeah. She said something kind of strange to me earlier."   


She gave me a puzzled, worried look.   


"Please, Max," I insisted.   


"Okay, I'll check it out," she said, standing up slowly like I was a mental patient that might start howling and drooling any second.   


"Thanks. Hey, Max."   


She turned back around.   


"I really don't expect you to find anything," I said, to reassure her.   


She nodded and left. 

***************************************************************************** 

The instructions of Daniel's employer were very specific, and it was insisted that they be followed to the letter. Daniel had no disagreements. Precision was what he was paid for.   


The first step on the list was easily accomplished. Even the employer's irritating "No splices. Continuous links only," was accommodated without undue difficulty, even though there were individuals passing all around as he worked. After all, no one questioned what he or she didn't see.   


Daniel thought quietly to himself as he worked. The employer continued to express nervousness at the possibility of Batman interfering. Daniel did not share his concerns. The mechanical suit Batman wore was designed to take punishment. The man himself was not. As long as Daniel continued to get his daily dosage, there was no cause for concern, given the success he had with his first encounter. If he exhausted his supply of chemicals, there were alternatives to Wayne-Powers for restocking.   


He tightened a clip, completing the circuit. A precaution for his employer's sake, nothing more. He did not fear another encounter with Batman.   


He closed the panel. Batman. Batman… _reminded_ him of someone, someone he once knew well.   


Daniel put his tools away thoughtfully. He ordinarily had little time or patience for remembrances. He searched his brain for the exact memory, but it eluded him, as did most memories not related to his work. It was odd, but not worthy of concern. He jumped down from his perch and melted into the crowd. 

********************************************************************************* 

I was back in school two days later. Everyone was really supportive.   


Except for Nelson. "Hey, McGuinness! You look like slag run over twice!" he yelled in the hall as I was walking to class. But I was kind of expecting that.   


"I went looking for that thing you asked me about," Max said first period as I sat down.   


"And?"   


"Clean. Your mom's maiden name was Archer, born and raised in Gotham, she married your dad eighteen years ago and divorced him sixteen years after that."   


"That's it? Nothing else?"   


"That's it." I sighed.   


I was hoping for something a little more helpful. An ex-boyfriend, anything. "Guess I was just being paranoid," I said wryly.   


"Hey, it's okay. Anything to help out a friend," Max said cheerfully.   


"Have you talked to Dana?" I asked. 

Max stiffened a little. "Yeah. She seems okay." 

I nodded. "Good." 

Max said softly, "Did you even _try _to tell her?" 

"What was I going to say, Max? Besides, Wayne would have killed me." 

"I found out, and we're both still breathing."   


"That's because you found out on your own. It's not the same as me telling you." 

"Oh. Okay," Max said, skeptically. 

"Look, even if I told her she'd never understand. She needs someone normal," I said insistently. I picked at the edge of my notebook. "She deserves someone normal," I finished, quietly. But I think Max heard me anyway. 

******************************************************************************** 

"First step completed," Daniel said, standing in the office of his employer. 

"Excellent. No trouble?" 

"None." 

"And the side project?" 

"The door mechanism has been adjusted." 

"Good." 

"Entry to the facility was slightly more difficult than anticipated." 

The employer waved him off. 

"You'll be compensated. How are you coming with the codes?" 

"I am retrieving the appropriate equipment tonight. An acceptable number of entry passwords should be in my possession within forty-eight hours." 

"Thank God," Daniel's employer said, wiping off sweat with a handkerchief. 

Daniel was slightly amused by the nervous behavior. "You have external pressures I should be aware of?"   


"No. Just do your job," the employer snapped. 

Daniel gave a little nod. "Of course," he said, gliding silently out. He gave a small nod and smile to his employer's child on the way out, who was watching him from the top of the stairs. 

Back in the office, the employer looked over the computer screen, which displayed a grid schematic for the entire city of Gotham. Except for a few scattered buildings that remained yellow, the entire grid was outlined in blue. The schematic heading read: Tags for kill switch activated. Redundant systems compromised. 

********************************************************************************* 

"You awake?" Wayne's voice asked over the comm, breaking into my thoughts. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I was just thinking," I answered. 

"Try and stay focused." 

"Right," I said, stretching. I had caught a few muggers and broken up another fight between the Jokerz and some kids from school at Rhino's Chili, but not much else was going on. "Kind of hoping our friend was going to show up again," I said, disappointed. He had embarrassed me, and I wanted another crack at him. 

"You may be in luck," Wayne said. 

I perked up.   


"Security system just went down at Fox-tech artificial intelligence labs," he continued. 

I grinned. "On my way," I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.   
  
  
  


I made it there in record time. Black costume was still there, calmly loading a state of the art prototype computer into his bag. 

"I don't think that belongs to you," I said from my perch.   


He wasn't even startled. "I was hoping all the bat-children were tucked safe in bed at this hour. Especially the injured ones," he replied, looking me over carefully. I knew he was trying to figure out if I was fit to fight. 

"Happy to disappoint you," I snapped, irritated. 

"I don't suppose I could convince you to let me walk out of here," he replied, setting his bag down. 

"Not in this lifetime," I said, dropping down to the floor. 

"Oh, well. I tried," he said, right before he lunged. 

I took a step back, and he went flat on his stomach. He jumped up again as quick as he could and studied me. I couldn't keep a smirk off my face. He swung. I stepped to one side. He swung again. I stepped to the other side. He swung both hands at me. I blasted off into the air. I was feeling pretty smug. Then something slammed into my sore ribs, throwing my jet heels out in front of me and driving me hard into the wall. 

"I jump," Black costume said mildly, with one hand holding onto the rafters, the other holding onto my shirt.   


"Kind of guessed that," I said coldly, glaring.   


He nodded, slammed me hard against the wall once, and let me go as he dove off the wall for his bag. I saw spots for a second, but managed to activate my jet boots and go after him. I got there first, and grabbed the bag. He tried to take my feet out from under me, but I took off again and tossed a bat-a-rang with a cable. It whipped tight around his arms and legs, and he hopped up and down a couple of times before crashing to the ground. I landed and watched him for a second. He struggled, but couldn't move. 

"Enjoy your visit with the cops," I said smugly, as I put the computer back and left. I called it in on my way home. 

********************************************************************************** 

Daniel smiled to himself as Batman left. He wiggled around a little until he got part of the cable in his fingers. He pulled hard. The cable snapped, and the rest of it fell away. He stood up, brushed himself off, and picked up the computer. Sad that Batman fell for it, really, that was one of the oldest tricks in the book. 

Daniel left by the same window as Batman and followed him from rooftop to rooftop across the city. A few more miscellaneous criminals captured, then Batman went in another direction. Daniel didn't bother to free them, anyone that idiotic deserves to get apprehended. 

Batman flew in through an apartment window, landed, and pulled off his mask. Daniel smiled. It was a kid, just as he'd suspected. He committed the face to memory, made a note to find out who he was, and turned to leave. Certainly his employer would find the information valuable, for resale if not for personal use. If the kid made himself a nuisance again, Daniel now had plenty of options for convincing him to walk away. He had a whole household full of options, perhaps a whole school full.   


**_Chapter 3 is coming..._**   



	3. Sector 3

"What do you mean he wasn't there

**_Chapter 3 I'm getting there! I'm getting there!_**

"What do you _mean _he wasn't there!" I yelled at Commissioner Gordon.

"I mean _he wasn't there_. _He_ was gone, and the _computer_ was gone. All we could find was this," she said, holding up a broken cable.   


That's when it finally sunk in. I dropped down into one of the chairs across from her desk with a thunkand put my head in my hands. "I should have waited. That was… that was so _stupid! _I _know _better than that," I snapped, bringing my head up and slamming the chair with my fist.   


My feeling sorry didn't even make a crack in her icy stare. "No sense looking back now. It's done. Do you at least have an **idea** what he wanted that particular computer for?"   


"No," I said dejectedly, shaking my head.   


"I guess we'll find out the hard way, then, won't we?" she said, settling back in her chair with a cold, fake smile.   


"Guess so," I answered sarcastically, picking up my bag to leave. Wayne was outside in the waiting room. "Don't say anything. I heard it all from Gordon," I said as we walked out of the building.   


"I wasn't planning to," he answered.   


I slid into the driver's seat and started the car.   


Wayne got in next to me. "I was just curious if you noticed anyone following you last night," he said carefully, shutting the door.   


"No! Well, I don't think so," I said, doubtfully, as I took off.   


Wayne looked at me.   


"All right. I didn't even think to check," I admitted.   


He nodded. "That's what I was afraid of," he said, looking out the window.   


I was scared. Mom, and Matt… if I put them in danger… "What can we do?"   


He sighed. "Not much."   


I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I blew it. All the way down the line. "And it's a mistake you never would have made, right?" I found myself saying, with more venom than I planned on.   


He looked over at me, startled.   


"It always goes perfect for you," I continued, even though I didn't really know why I was attacking him.   


He glared. "I wouldn't have been taken in by something that elementary, no."   


I almost swerved off the road.   


But then he started talking again, still stern but less angry. "But it _never _goes perfectly. No matter how much experience you have or how well thought out your strategy is, the unexpected can always happen. The important thing is to learn from it."   


"What if it costs me my family? My friends? What if something happens to them because I was stupid?"   


Bruce closed his eyes. "Bad things happen in this world, Terry. One man can't prevent them all."   


The discussion was over. I could tell by the way he was sitting. It didn't matter to him if I still had questions. Or maybe he really doesn't know everything. I turned away and put my eyes back on the road. 

******************************************************************* 

Daniel's employer was not having a good day. "There _won't _be any mistakes! I've hired a professional!"   


The individual on the other end of the line said, noncommittally, "A professional. That can mean so many things."   


The employer smoothed a loose strand of hair back into place with shaking fingers. "He came highly recommended with twenty years experience. His previous employer trained him personally."   


"Who was this employer?"   


Daniel's employer pushed a button and sent a picture of the man in question to the other end.   


The individual said thoughtfully, "Yes, I've heard of this man. A true kindred spirit." The individual tapped his chin with his index finger, and finally smiled. "You've outdone yourself. I trust this professional's payment will come from your end?"   


"Of course," Daniel's employer said, the relief evident in his voice.   


"Then I don't have any problem with waiting another day."   


"Thank you."   


The individual nodded, then held up a warning finger. "But remember, I am not a patient man," he said before terminating the connection.   


The employer quickly dialed Daniel's number. "How close are you to being done?"   


Daniel answered smoothly, "I'm modifying the program for the targets you requested now. It should only take a few minutes."   


"Good." 

Daniel hung up the phone, and kept working. His fingers moved surprisingly quickly over the keys. Whether it was from his genetic enhancements or his rigorous training, Daniel couldn't say. He preferred to keep his training from the forefront of his mind; it had been thorough, but also brutal. His previous employer had never been considered a kindly man.   


Daniel finished the programming, checked to make sure the Internet connection was secure and that the anti-detection measures were in place, then punched a button and leaned back to watch the supercomputer do its work. 

****************************************************************** 

The computer in the bat-cave was going crazy with alarms. Wayne hurried down the steps as fast as he could and sat in the chair.   


"What is it?" I asked, running after him.   


"Someone is attempting to access secured areas of businesses around the city," Wayne snarled, fingers flying across the keys faster than I had ever seen him go.   


"Can you track it down?" I said, worried.   


"No. They're only making one attempt at entry before jumping to another system."   


I started to feel sick from trying to read the stream of alerts popping up on the screen. Who… "The supercomputer," I groaned, mentally kicking myself again.   


Wayne nodded, picked up the phone, and called Commissioner Gordon.   


"He's getting in!" I yelped, as the words "Unauthorized Entry" flicked up and disappeared. I reached for the keys, but I missed which system he had gotten into.   


Wayne pushed me away from the keys. "She's notifying the administrators," Wayne snapped.   


More and more alerts started flashing "Unauthorized Entry." "Not good," I murmured.   


"Look for company names and give them to me," Wayne said, waving his finger at the screen.   


I started saying names as fast as I could, trying not to blink or listen while he repeated them into the phone. After a few minutes, they started to get blurry. I lost my concentration for a sec.   


"McGuinness!" Wayne snapped, his face purple.   


I opened my mouth to say the next name, when the stream stopped and popped up with a new screen that said "Kill Switch Activated" in bright blue letters. We both stopped to stare at it. A second later, the power went out. 

************************************************************* 

Daniel's employer sat at the desk with a single lamp on. The office wasn't completely dark; the late afternoon sun still shone faintly through the window. Careful eyes watched the lamp as it flickered once and went out. So far, so good.   


The employer hooked up the old battery pack to a portable notebook on the desk. A few keystrokes and a password gained access to the overseas bank accounts Daniel had set up under assumed names. The employer ran down the list of names, checking to make sure the correct amount of funds was in each one. The employer smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Perfect. The debts were paid off, Daniel had his money, the family was safe, and that blackmailing creep had no more power over him.   


"Daddy?" his daughter called from upstairs.   


"Coming, Dana," Mr. Tan said, shutting down the computer and walking upstairs. 

************************************************************* 

I could hear Wayne shuffling around in the dark. A light clicked on. I couldn't really see his face in the dark, but I could tell he was mad.   


I started shifting from one foot to the other as he glared at me. I could feel my palms sweating. "Well, I guess I'll get changed and go patrol," I said, picking up my bag and turning away.   


"Go home." I stopped. His voice was "one step away from murder" hard.   


I started to make some protest that sounded lame, even to me.   


"**_NOW!!_**" he yelled, standing up and holding his cane over his head. He was shaking with rage.   


I got out of there as fast as I could.   
  
  


It was almost dark when I got home.   


"Mom, I'm home," I called, tossing my bag on my bed. The place was quiet. Too quiet. "Mom?" I peeked into her bedroom. No one there. I turned back around.   


Something jumped out of the bathroom. "Yah!" I yelled, trying to fend it off.   


"Gotcha!" Matt yelled, shining his flashlight under his face.   


"You little twip!" I yelled, grabbing at him.   


He jumped out of the way, laughing. "The power's off," he said, like it was the most profound thing in the world.   


"No, you think?" I said, pushing past him to my room.   


He bounced after me like a little gremlin. "You were supposed to watch me. Mom's going to ground you when I tell her."   


This is usually the part where I threaten him, but I couldn't think of anything good this time.   


He darted past me as I tried to slam the door and jumped on my bed.   


"Hey! Get out of my room!" I snapped.   


He flopped down and crossed his legs.   


"I don't believe this," I groaned. Even my little brother's running circles around me.   


"Did Mr. Wayne fire you?" he asked, bouncing up and down on the bed to make it squeak.   


"Matt, get out."   


"Well, did he?"   


I guessed I wasn't fired, since I still had the bat-suit. But I wasn't going to tell the twip that. I leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "If you don't get out of here in two seconds, you're making your own dinner."   


He stopped squeaking. "But all I know how to make is Monster O's," he whined.   


"That's the point," I said, standing up straight and crossing my arms.   


"All right," he grumbled, leaving.   


I sat down at my desk.   


He peeked back in. "What am I supposed to do?"   


"I don't know. Make up ghost stories or something," I said impatiently.   


"Can I tell 'em to you?" he said, hopefully.   


"Yeah. After dinner. We'll set up a tent."   


"Shwayyyy," he said, leaving.   
  
  


"And the monster got closer. And closer," I said in my best spooky voice, leaning forward.   


Matt was staring at me saucer eyed. The flashlight made shway looking shadows on the sheet we strung up between two chairs as a tent. "Does he get them?" Matt said.   


"Wait a sec, and I'll tell you. The kids were hiding under the bed, trying not to make a sound. They could hear it breathing as it got closer and closer and closer. It stopped right by the bed and sniffed. Then, suddenly…"   


A bright light came on, blinding me, and noise blasted through the living room. Matt screamed and jumped up, spilling ice cream all over the carpet and knocking over the chairs. The sheet fell on top of him. "Get it off! Don't let it eat me!" he yelled.   


I pulled the sheet off him.   


He wiggled away, panting.   


"The power's back on," I said, in the same tone of voice that he used when he told me it was off. I reached for the remote and turned the TV down. Ice cream was dripping off the chairs and the sheet. "Aw, jeez," I said, wiping some off my pants.   


"It's your fault. You're in charge," Matt said quickly.   


"You're helping me clean this up," I said firmly. I went to the kitchen and got a bucket and couple of sponges. I flipped channels to Gotham News Network and listened while Matt and I cleaned up.   


"…Catching the person or persons responsible for this high tech robbery is a daunting task for Gotham City Police, since today's power outage effectively erased any record of the transfers at this end."   


I stopped cleaning and listened.   


"It's impossible to determine exactly how much money was stolen from the various corporations, but sources close to the investigation tell us it could be as much as one billion dollars. We will bring you more details when they become available."   


"One billion dollars? Wow," Matt said, impressed.   


"Not wow," I grumbled. 

So that's what Black costume was after with that supercomputer. Not information, or sabotage, or anything like that. Just money.   


"In other news, Paxton Powers escaped from Gotham prison earlier today when the power outage combined with a faulty release mechanism caused his cell door to open," the TV went on.   


Just when you think it can't get any worse… I saw Matt sneaking away out of the corner of my eye.   


I grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "Nice try."   


He went back to cleaning with a sulk. I wiped of the couch, thoughtfully. Black costume had to be behind them both. It was just too much of a coincidence. But who would break Paxton Powers out of prison and mastermind a robbery all at the same time?   
  
  


I thought about it all night and the next morning on the way to school, but I couldn't come up with anyone who liked Paxton enough to give him the time of day, much less break him out of jail. I was going to call Wayne and get his opinion, but I figured he was still mad at me. But that was just fine. I made the mess, and I was going to fix it.   


I walked up to the front of the school. There was a Gotham City Power van parked outside the building. The school was still dark.   


"Look at that. We show up, and they're not even ready to get going yet," Max complained, coming up beside me.   


"They're still on the old circuit breaker system. Have to push those back in before everything comes back on," I said.   


Max was about to say something else, when the lights flickered on inside and the first bell rang. "Gotta jet," she said.   


I watched her go in, with Dana and Chelsea right in front of her. I started to follow them at a safe distance. I paused and glanced at the windows. That's weird; the lights are still flickering. Wait, they weren't flickering; they were sparking.   


"Stop!" I yelled, running toward the building.   


The fire alarm started shrieking, and a second later the school went dark.   
  
  


There were people running everywhere.   


Max came out, pulling Dana with her. "Look out!" she yelled.   


I dove out of the way as something hit the ground next to me with a smash. I covered my head with my hands as I was showered with glass.   


"Are you all right?" Max said.   


"What happened?" Dana said at the same time.   


I looked up. "Someone took one of the third floor windows out of the frame and dropped it," I said.   


"That's the chem lab," Dana said, pointing.   


I could see people standing in front of the window, screaming and waving frantically.   


I started running toward the building. "I'm going to go help," I yelled over my shoulder.   


Dana yelled something, but I ignored her.   


I ducked behind a dumpster and changed into the bat-suit, and then I took off and did a quick circle of the building. There was still a stream of people coming out. No way was I going to be able to do a classroom to classroom; I'd never be able to fight my way in. I flew straight to the lab. People were climbing out on the window ledge to make room for everyone else huddled in a two-foot space around the window. Almost a whole class; guess everyone decided to show up early. I grabbed the two nearest people, one under each arm, and flew them down to the ground. As I set them down, I saw Black costume skittering up and into the lab. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I flew up back up to stop whatever he was about to do as fast as I could. We met at the window. One of the students was riding piggyback with her arms around his neck.   


"What do you think you're doing?" I snapped, grabbing his shirt.   


"The longer you fight me, the less time we have to get these people out of here!" he snapped back, shoving me.   


I couldn't argue with that, so I let him go and took the next two. We fell into a rhythm, and pretty soon we had the lab evacuated.   
  
  


By the time we finished, fire crews were already working on pulling the last few people out of the building, and the paramedics were starting to show up. A few people had breathed in a little too much smoke, or had bits of debris fall on them, but no one was seriously hurt. The big fire had been in the chem lab, with a few small ones in a couple other classrooms. Black costume set the last person down next to an ambulance and stood staring at the building with his arms crossed. I stepped up behind him.   


He turned and looked at me. "I had no idea the circuits would overload when reset. It wasn't my intention to hurt anyone."   


He _sounded_ like he meant it, but he could still be faking. This could all be just part of some plan I don't know about yet. "Is that why you helped me?" I asked, a little suspiciously.   


He stared again, and shook his head as if to clear it. "I don't remember why I helped you. After all, I wasn't paid to do it, and I usually only remember what I was paid to do," he said slowly, his head bent in thought. Then his head came up with a start, and his arms uncrossed. "I usually only remember what I was paid to do," he repeated, like he never realized it before. Like something had _kept_ him from realizing it before. Then he clutched at his stomach and doubled over with a groan.   


I reached out to help him, but he pushed me away and took off running.   
  
  


I started to follow him, when I heard Dana yelling. A couple of firemen were trying to keep her from going back inside the building. "You don't understand! My friend went inside to try and help, and he never came back out!"   


"Miss, we checked the building. No one's in there," one of the firemen said.   


"I'll handle this," I said, stepping up.   


"Whatever you say," the fireman said, pulling his buddy away with him.   


She fought me harder than she had fought them. I turned her around and held onto her arms.   


"I'm all right, Danes," I told her, just loud enough so only she could hear.   


I knew she recognized my voice, because she stopped wiggling and stared. I couldn't tell if she was in shock or mad or what. "**_This _**is what you've been doing?!" she said finally. At least she kept her voice down. Kind of.   


I could see Max out of the corner of my eye, getting her wrist bandaged and giving us her undivided attention.   


"Well, yeah," I said cautiously, with an apologetic look and a shrug.   


She stepped back out of my reach, wiped the tears off her face and said, "You're in big trouble, buster," before walking away.   


I started to go after her, but Max jogged up and put her hand on my shoulder. "Give her time," she said.   


I yanked my arm away and started after Dana, but she turned around and fixed me with a "Don't even go there" look, so I backed off. Max watched me as I came walking back, with a sympathetic look on her face. Maybe I _shouldn't _have told Dana. But it just, I don't know, came right out. At least she won't tell anybody. I think.   


"So, who was that guy you were talking to? You two seemed pretty chummy," Max said, trying to change the subject.   


"Not quite sure," I said, activating a heads up display on the suit. The tracer I planted on Black Costume was blinking strong and steady. "But I'm going to find out," I finished, taking off.   


**_You know that rumor that this is a crossover? It'll come up in the next chapter._**


	4. Sector 4

Daniel ran through the alleyways

**_Chapter 4. What more did you want to know?_**

  


Daniel ran through the alleyways. He could feel his muscles expanding and contracting on their own, sending waves of pain through his body. His former employer warned him about this; that if he did not take his chemical dosages on a regular basis his body would reject the enhancements, paralyzing him or worse. A particularly severe pang dropped him to his knees, but he forced himself back up and kept running.   


And why had he helped Batman, anyway? He racked his brain. He had been getting breakfast nearby, heard the alarm, and just… He shook his head. Everything was so fuzzy… Perhaps it was a side effect from not getting the proper dosage. Yes, that was it. Get the dosage, and everything will be all better. He managed to climb up to his apartment without falling, although he kept losing his grip from the shakes.   


He stopped short once he got through the window. "No," he gasped, falling to his knees. Everything was broken, spilled; the chemicals ran uselessly over the floor.   


"Tragic, isn't it?" a well- cultivated voice said behind him.   


Daniel did not immediately recognize the man that he turned to face, but he looked familiar… "Why?" Daniel croaked. Why was this person trying to kill him?   


The man said, "I took the liberty of getting in contact with your former employer. Surely you remember him? After all, he was the one that trained you."   


Daniel stared up at his tormentor's face. Powers? Yes, that was it. The one Daniel's employer sent him to free.   


Powers knelt down next to him. "This individual informed me that you were _not_ discharged, that you instead left his employ without notice. He also made it clear that if I were to tie up this particular loose end, it would be well worth my while. And well worth your current employer's while, incidentally enough. With you gone, there will no longer be any evidence tying him to either crime."   


Daniel felt his muscles start to stiffen up. He was powerless to move, to fight, and the man knew it too.   


"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go and inform Mr. Tan of this new development. I'm sure he'll be quite pleased," the man said, leaving the apartment and shutting the door.

********************************************************************************

  


I followed the tracer signal to a building in a part of town that wasn't going to win any Good Housekeeping Awards. One of the windows on the third floor was open. I landed on the wall next to it and cautiously peeked in. Someone had trashed the place pretty good. Black Costume was lying on the floor, shivering. I slid in and walked up to him carefully, trying not to step on anything and staying alert for tricks. 

"Broke it all," he said, gasping between words. 

"Who did?" I asked, kneeling down and checking his pulse. No way he was faking this. His muscles were all locked up and his heart was about ready to explode. 

"Powers. Said he knew…" His voice trailed off. 

"Knew what? What did he know?" I said loudly. Please don't pass out on me… 

"Tan." 

"Tan," I repeated, thinking. "You mean, Mr. Tan?" 

He nodded, but it was more like a jerk. "Employer." 

"_Your_ employer? He paid you to steal that money?" 

Another jerk. 

I stood up, my mind spinning. "Hang in there, okay? I'm going to get you some help," I said, pulling out my phone to call Commissioner Gordon. 

"How…find…me?" he asked. 

"I put a tracer on your back," I said, waiting to be put through. 

He made a sound like he was choking. It took me a second to realize he was laughing. "Old…trick," he said, closing his eyes and licking his lips. 

After a little fumbling, I managed to get Gordon, told her about Mr. Tan, Paxton Powers and the address where we were at. Black costume was trying to say something as I hung up. I crouched so I could hear him better. 

"Told Tan…About you," he rasped. 

"What about me?" I said, although the sinking feeling in my stomach had a pretty good idea what he was talking about. 

"Followed… you," he whispered, almost apologetically. 

The sinking feeling dropped even faster. He knew who I was. And now, so did Mr. Tan. 

"I gotta go," I said, standing up and taking off out the window. 

I heard the sirens pulling up to the building behind me as I flew away. 

************************************************************************

Paxton Powers snuck out the back fire escape as the paramedics and police came in the front. He had been out in the hall with his ear to Daniel's door. He hadn't heard everything, but understood enough to know that Daniel had given up Tan. Once Powers was a safe distance away from the apartment building, he phoned Tan. He hated telling the sniveling little weasel that Batman was on his tail, but it fit in too nicely with his plans not to. Granted, it wouldn't take Batman and the Gotham City Police long to apprehend Tan, but it certainly gave Powers a more than adequate head start. By the time the authorities started looking in earnest, the trail will have grown cold. 

Powers had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as he listened to Tan rant on the other end of the line. Finding him had been a rare stroke of luck. The man worked for one of Wayne-Power's competitors, and had been demoted when the company was restructured. He and his daughter had become so used to the good life that he was willing to do just about anything to keep it, spending money he didn't have and running himself into debt. Desperate, he started embezzling money from the company and selling off as many discarded projects as he could get his hands on. Paxton's careful eye on his competitors came up with Tan's activities and the documents to prove them. Blackmail caused Tan to provide Powers with quite a nice little nest egg while he was in prison. And talking Tan into masterminding that robbery to pay off his debts AND get Powers out of jail at the same time was an additional stroke of genius. Once Tan was out of the way, all the money would be his for the taking. 

Powers said something false and soothing to ease Tan's worries before he hung up the phone and walked off into the night.   
***************************************************************************** 

Dana used the key to enter her house, her mind full of questions. She peeked into her dad's office to let him know she was home and tell him what happened at school, but he wasn't there. She furrowed her brow. It was a little strange, but she just assumed that he had an emergency meeting at work. 

She went upstairs to her room and sat down on the bed. Terry was Batman. She couldn't believe it. _Terry was Batman_. Who else knew? Max knew; the way she rested her hand on his shoulder had been way too familiar. 

Then Dana had a horrible thought. What if Terry _hadn't _been out as Batman all of those times? What if sometimes he was with Max instead? After all, Dana thought, he told her and not me. What does that say about our relationship? She's been helping him, probably every night, while I've been nagging him about not seeing him anymore. Maybe if I had been more understanding… But what difference would it make? Maybe I don't want to be with Terry. Spending all those nights up, wondering if someday he might not come back. I don't know if I could live like that.   


The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. 

"Tan residence," Dana said automatically. 

"Pack us each a suitcase," Mr. Tan said on the other end of the line. 

"Daddy? What's going on?" 

"Just do what I say, Dana. We're leaving town," he gruffly, before hanging up. 

Dana sat on the bed, stunned. He had sounded so scared; what was going on? She grabbed her suitcase out of her closet and started packing as fast as she could. She heard a horn honking outside a few minutes later, and looked out the window. Mr. Tan's car was parked out front. She slammed the suitcases shut and hauled them out the door. Mr. Tan grabbed them from her as soon as she was outside and threw them in the trunk. He opened the back door and pushed her inside. Matt was inside on the backseat, huddled in a corner with his head down. He had bruises on his arms the same size and shape as fingers. 

"Matt? What are you doing here?" Dana asked. 

Mr. Tan got in the driver's seat and shut the door. "He's insurance. In case we run into any problems," Mr. Tan said, pulling out into traffic. 

Insurance? Dana's eye wandered over to the front seat, and she gasped. Her father had a gun next to him, and he was fingering the trigger with one hand and driving with the other. Her blood ran cold. Insurance in case Batman showed up. How had her father known? Dana looked at his eyes in the rear view mirror, to plead with him, to get Matt out of there. The eyes looking back were not ones she recognized. They were wild, intense, desperate. The words died on her lips. 

"Come here, Matt," Dana murmured, pulling him into her arms, trying to comfort him even though she had never been so scared in her life. 

*********************************************************************** 

I got to the Tan's house just in time to see their car pull away. I said every word Mom would kill me for saying in front of Matt that I could think of. I almost threw some bat-a-rangs to try and take the car out, but I stopped myself just in time. As much as I hated it, there were just too many things that could go wrong. I made a little frustrated noise in my throat and followed them. After a few blocks, I started to get impatient. What's he going to try and do, _drive _out of town? The cops are sealing off the city, the airport, there's no way… Wait; wait. Didn't Dana say something to me one time about her father buying a hovercraft?

  


Sure enough, the car turned off on a side street and stopped by a private docking port. There was a hovercraft inside, all powered up and ready to go. I folded up my wings and dove as Mr. Tan opened the door and got out. He whipped around and brought up his right arm. I saw the gun in his hand and broke off, giving him enough time to open the back door and pull out a kid. 

"Oh, no," I gasped. It was Matt. 

I landed a few dozen feet away from the car and cursed myself. Tan saw me in the side view mirror of the car because I didn't make myself invisible before I dove. Another line filled on the "I was incredibly stupid" list. 

"Let him go," I called. 

He gave me a superior look and called, "Get the suitcases, Dana," while holding the gun to Matt's head. 

Dana got out of the other side of the car slowly and shut the door. She was sweating, and her eyes were wide and frightened. She went around to the back, opened the trunk and got both suitcases out. 

"Get inside the hovercraft," Mr. Tan said. 

She paused and mouthed, "Do something!" at me, with a desperate look on her face. Like what?! I wanted to scream. He's got Matt! 

"**_NOW!!" _**her father shouted, pressing the gun tighter against Matt's head. 

She jumped and hurried a few steps before walking slowly towards the hovercraft door. Mr. Tan followed her, walking backwards, his eyes never leaving me. She walked up the stairs and put the suitcases inside, before turning her head to look at me. Our eyes met, and she looked down at her left foot, then at her father's arm holding the gun. I nodded slightly, to let her know I understood. Her father walked slowly up the steps backwards. As soon as his arm was level with her foot, Dana kicked as hard as she could. Mr. Tan's gun arm flew away from Matt's head, and I threw a bat-a-rang at the same time, knocking the gun from his hand. He tried to turn and run inside, but Dana slammed the hatch control and the door slid shut with a whoosh. 

"**_Dana!!_**" he roared, banging his fist on the door. 

I tossed a bat-a-rang and cable. It wound around Mr. Tan's feet and tripped him. He fell to one side and dropped Matt. Matt hit the ground so hard that I winced, but he just jumped back up and took off as fast as he could. I rushed forward and tied Mr. Tan's arms, before he could do any more damage. 

"And _this _time I'm waiting for the cops," I muttered to myself, shoving him down.   


Dana had been watching from the cockpit and she opened the door and came out. 

"Thanks," I said. 

She nodded, rubbing her arms. "Just so you know, I forgive you for all this," she said, meeting my gaze before her voice trailed off. 

"But?" I said, although I already knew the answer. 

"But this isn't really something I think I can deal with on a daily basis," she said with a sigh. 

I nodded. "I understand." 

I wasn't that surprised. I guess that took the sting out of it a little bit. 

Matt came running up from the other side of the hangar. "You remember me?" he said eagerly, jumping up and down. 

I pretended like I was thinking. "I've saved you before, haven't I?" I asked. 

"Yeah! From Stalker!" 

"You're a lot of trouble for one little kid," I said, ruffling his hair. 

"I could say the same thing about someone else I know," Dana said, looking at me. 

I could hear the sirens coming up the street, so I took off and left the three of them there.   


Wayne called me a few hours later. "I've been watching the news. Looks like you had a busy day," he said. 

"Yeah. But it was worth it." 

"How's your brother?" 

"He's fine. Mom was thrilled to get him back," I said. 

"I can imagine." 

"Can't figure out why. All he's been doing is going on about how great Batman is," I complained, trying not to laugh. 

"And you're enjoying it," Wayne said, mildly. 

"Every word." 

Wayne made a little amused sound and said, "I got in touch with Gordon. Tan admitted to hiring Daniel." 

"Daniel? That his name?" 

"Yes. The woman I spoke to at the hospital said they've never seen anything quite like him." 

"They've never seen a splicer before?" I said, a little sarcastically. 

"That wasn't the unusual part," he said, wryly. 

I listened. 

"They took a sample of the DNA implanted in Daniel and ran it through the database to try and find the species. The computer was unable to identify it." 

Not possible. That database has every species ever documented. "A glitch?" 

"That's what the technician thought, until he looked at the sequence under a microscope. Whoever created it took fragments from several different species and pieced them together so precisely that the computer didn't see the cuts." 

"Whoa," I said, impressed. 

"Mmm. I can't think of anyone here in Gotham with that kind of technological capability." 

I let that sink in for a minute. Cutting edge technology… "But if the technology was so perfect, what was with all those chemicals?" I asked. 

"Daniel's body was rejecting the implants," Wayne said dryly. 

I saw Daniel in the back of my mind, doubled over, and I shuddered. "At the school, Daniel told me something kind of odd." 

"Go ahead." 

"He said something about only remembering what he was paid to do." 

"And he wasn't taunting you," Wayne said, doubtfully. 

"I don't think so. He sounded just as creeped out about it as I feel." 

"Someone was using him." It was a statement, not a question. 

"Yeah. I think so." 

Wayne sighed. "This is a bit outside my area of expertise. Hopefully Daniel will be able to tell us more when he wakes up." 

More like _if _he wakes up. "Does the city have enough to make a case without him?" I asked. 

"Yes. Tan's admission connects him to the robbery and the jailbreak. Add to that the kidnapping of your brother, and he's going behind bars for a long, long time." 

I nodded. "Any news on Powers?" 

"Not a word. He gained remote access to the accounts Tan set up and emptied them before disappearing. But I know a few places." Wayne paused. "I'm leaving town for a few weeks," he said, cautiously. 

"That's okay. Max and I can handle it," I said, nonchalantly. 

There was a long pause. I couldn't tell if that wasn't the answer he wanted, or if he just didn't have anything else to say. Finally he said, "I'll call you when I get back." Then he hung up the phone. 

*******************************************************************

All the days bled together for Daniel. He just lay there on his back, unable to move, hooked up to machines, listening to the doctors all around him. Someone told him in a singsong voice that once the DNA finished breaking down and was flushed out of his system, he would be alllll betterrrrr. He thought wryly that maybe they should be giving him some more fluids. 

His mind was still a blank. With no orders to fill it and nothing else to do but lie there while his muscles screamed in pain, he became depressed. He knew he was having nightmares, screaming in his sleep. He was sure they were memories, but they slipped away as soon as he woke up. And there was nothing anybody could do to help him. If this isn't hell, Daniel thought to himself, I don't know what is.   


The doctor assigned to Daniel showed up precisely at seven in the morning, the same as she did every day. "Any change?" 

"He was yelling a lot more than usual," the orderly said, handing the doctor Daniel's chart. 

"You didn't go check on him?" she said, glancing up from the sentence she had been reading. 

He shrugged. "I checked the stats. They all looked fine." 

"I suppose I'll have to look in on him before I start my rounds." She walked briskly down the hall and peeked in. 

Daniel was lying on the bed, same as always. Then his hand came up and gave her a slight wave. She nearly dropped the chart. 

"Orderly!" she yelled. She started unhooking the machines. 

The orderly came rushing in, stared at Daniel, and started helping the doctor. 

"Can I have something to eat?" Daniel rasped. 

"Of course," she said, waving the orderly off to go get something. "Can you move?" she continued, sitting down next to the bed. 

He wrapped his arms around the bed rails and pulled himself into a sitting position, giving a little bow when he was through. The orderly came back with something from the cafeteria. Daniel took a bite, gagged on the food, and made a face. 

"Not to your liking?" the doctor asked. 

"Well, I was hoping for four star service and a soothing ambiance, but you get what you pay for," he said jokingly. 

The doctor watched as he polished off his plate. "I must say, Daniel, this turnaround is quite surprising." 

"Peter," he said, licking off his fork. 

"I beg your pardon?" she asked. 

"My name's Peter. Peter Parker," he said, setting the fork down on his plate. Otherwise known as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, he thought to himself. 

**_One more chapter! And one more twist!_**


	5. Sector 5

The dream Peter had the previous night had given him enough information to realize what happened to him twenty years ago

**_Chapter 5 Last one, kiddies._**

The dream Peter had the previous night had given him enough information to realize what happened to him twenty years ago. That one dream opened the dam of his mind and the rest of his life memories fell into place, him becoming Spider-Man, his job as a photographer at the Bugle, and his marriage to Mary Jane. 

On the day he had supposedly died, Spider-Man had been out taking a swing around the block when his spider-sense started tingling. He switched directions and followed it. He didn't realize where it was taking him until he ended up home. There were flames pouring out of the window of the apartment he shared with Mary Jane, and she was supposed to be home by then. Panicked, he shot a web-line and swung inside. Well, M.J. wasn't home. But the Green Goblin, Spider-Man's arch nemesis, was. And he had a new toy. As Spider-Man swung in the window, he heard the familiar sound of a dart being fired and felt the needle pierce his ribs. His body went slack and he let go of the line, falling backwards onto the floor with a thud. The Green Goblin's grinning face hovering over him was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness.   


Spider-Man woke up chained to a wall. He struggled as hard as he could, but the chains held. 

"Have you read the papers this morning?" a voice asked him from the shadows. Norman Osborn, the owner of Oscorp and the Green Goblin's alter ego, stepped up and held a newspaper in front of Spider-Man's face. "Fire Claims One of the Bugle's Own," the headline read. "There's quite a touching editorial on page four. Also a few nice comments from your wife," he said, sweetly, pretending to be absorbed in the article. 

Spider-Man glared. "I swear once I get my hands on you, I'm going to make you wish you could forget you ever knew me." 

Osborn dropped the newspaper on a nearby table and said, "Really?" in a conversational tone. Then he picked up a large pipe and swung it into Spider-Man's stomach as hard as he could. 

Spider-Man's breath went out in a gasp. 

Osborn said coolly, "You're the only one who will be doing the forgetting around here." He let out a sharp laugh and said triumphantly, "You won't remember your own name once I'm through with you. And if you don't remember your own name, you can be anybody I want you to be," ending with a crafty smile. He slapped the pipe into the palm of his hand with a rhythmic motion. "How would you like to have Oscorp stamped across the top of your paycheck?" 

"I like having The Daily Bugle stamped across the top of my check. It's a nicer looking logo." 

Osborn smiled politely, and smacked him upside the head with the pipe. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard Osborn say, "I usually abhor using disciplinary action on one of my employees. I'd much prefer just to terminate them. But for you, I'll make an exception." Then he laughed that crazy Green Goblin laugh, and Spider-Man knew he was never leaving that room again.   


The humiliation went on for months and months, the torture, the experiments, stripping away memories, resistance, everything that made Peter himself and replacing it with cunning, ruthlessness, remorselessness, until one day Peter looked in the mirror and knew the reflection as Daniel and only Daniel. After that he was injected with chemicals, making him even faster, stronger and smarter than he already was. After that, he was sent out to perform "tasks" for Mr. Osborn. Every single one of them horrified Peter now. 

He was given pills every few days, which he took without complaint, although "without verbal complaint" and "without silent question" were two entirely different things. He analyzed one of the pills to satisfy his curiosity, and filed the list of compounds away in his brain in case he needed it in the future. Unfortunately, the analysis destroyed the pill. Asking for another was entirely out of the question, so Daniel decided he would just have to do without. The missed pill caused the worst pain he had ever experienced, even through all his training. With the pain came the unsettling feeling that something was wrong, although he couldn't understand what. But it was strong enough to know that he should leave Oscorp as quickly as possible. And so he did. And he worked freelance for payment ever since. Until he ran into Batman, that is.   


The doctors ran every test they could think of to prove that Peter was who he thought he was. Fingerprints, questions, the whole works. And Peter told them the truth, more or less. The doctors called the police and provided medical evidence to substantiate Peter's story. The woman, Gordon, Peter believed, told him that Osborn was out of her jurisdiction, but she would forward everything along to the New York police and make sure they followed up. 

After the officers left, the doctor sitting with Peter sat back. "I'm going to release you." 

It was one of the sweetest things Peter had ever heard. "Can I use your phone?" he asked. 

The doctor pushed the office phone to him. "Knock yourself out." 

****************************************************************************** 

I poured myself some orange juice and sat down at the table. It was Saturday morning, Mom wasn't up yet, and Matt was on a sugar high with no sign of peaking. 

The phone rang. "Matt, turn that down for a sec!" I yelled, as I reached to answer it. "Hello?" I said. I could barely hear the guy on the other end. "Matt!!" I yelled again. 

"Okay, jeez," he said. The sound dropped. 

"I'm sorry. What was that again?" I said. 

"I said, 'Is your mom there?'" the voice said. 

"No, she's not up yet. You want to leave a message?" I said politely. 

"Oh, boy. I was hoping I wouldn't have to put you on the spot," the voice said, letting out a long sigh. There was a long pause. "Just tell her that Peter Parker called, and that I'll call back," he said. 

"Will do." I hung up and wrote the message down, finished my juice and went to the bathroom. 

When I came back out, Mom was standing there in her bathrobe, shoving the message in my face. "What is _this?!_" she said. 

Boy, did she sound mad. "Some guy called," I said, edging away. What was going on? 

She was about to yell at me again, when the phone rang. "You wait right there, mister," she said, storming over to the phone to answer it. "_What?!_" She listened for a second, and her mouth dropped open. She slowly sat down in a kitchen chair. "I can't believe it," she whispered. Another long pause, with a few gasps here and there to liven things up a little. "Yes." She stared at me long and hard. "I'll talk to him." 

I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that. 

She listened for a few more minutes, and smiled. "You too, Tiger," she said, before hanging up. She stood up and came over to me. "We need to have a talk. Both of you," she said, looking at Matt. Mom sat down on the couch and turned off the TV. Matt perked up. 

I sat down on the couch next to Mom. "Who is that guy?" I asked. 

She swallowed. "My husband."   


Mom laid it all out for us right there. She hadn't grown up in Gotham, and her maiden name wasn't Archer. Her real name had been Mary Jane Watson-Parker. She told us about Peter, about their jobs and how they met, about the arson fire in their apartment and how she thought Peter had died. She moved to Gotham and changed her name to keep whoever finished off her husband from coming after her. Then she met Dad and the rest was history. 

She also gave us the quick history of what happened to Peter after the fire. I knew she was talking about Daniel, and my stomach tightened a little. But Mom wouldn't marry a complete psycho, and if they're releasing him he must be okay. Right?   


"So we're going to go meet him?" Matt asked. 

"As soon as we get ready, we'll go and pick him up," Mom said. 

Matt ran off to get dressed. 

"He's staying _here?_" I asked. 

"He doesn't have the money for a hotel," she said, looking at me quizzically. 

Now I _really _hope he isn't a psycho. I went to my room to get dressed. I fished my pants out from under my bed and pulled them on. I still had a lot of questions. If she was in love with this guy Peter the whole time, where did that leave Dad? Maybe it's no wonder they got divorced. I heard a knock on the door. 

"Yeah," I said, pulling on my shirt. 

Mom came in and shut the door behind her. "There's a couple other things I want to discuss with you," she said. 

"Like?" I said, sitting on the edge of my bed and pulling on my shoes. 

"Like why I get the feeling you're upset with me." 

I looked up at her. "Dad." I didn't have to say anything more. 

She sat down on the edge of the bed next to me. "I wouldn't have married your father if I wasn't in love with him." 

"But?" 

She sighed. "The reason we broke up had nothing to do with Peter's memory and everything to do with the fact that we both wanted different things out of life. Your father's dreams for the future included a stable career and picture perfect family. My role in that family was to be a stay at home mom." She looked down at her hands. "I thought at first that's what I wanted too. But the longer I stayed, the more I realized that wasn't who I was. I enjoyed working. I wanted a career. I thought I would be able to do both, but when told him I wanted to work part time while you and Matt were in school, he hit the roof." 

I was in shock. She never told me _any_ of this before. 

"I thought we would be able to work it out; that our dreams weren't so incompatible. I was wrong, we had less in common than either one of us would have guessed. We did agree on one thing: that neither of us wanted you and your brother to grow up in a household where your father and I were constantly fighting. So…" she said softly, her voice trailing off. She took a deep breath and continued. "As I've told you before, it was a mutual decision, and one of the hardest things I've ever done, so I don't want you thinking either one of us was the bad guy." She gave me a soft smile. "Speaking of which, I would like to know the reason why you never told me that you're Batman." 

"He told you," I groaned. 

She snorted. "He didn't have to. You've seen one badly beaten superhero, you've seen them all." Then her voice softened. "I just wish you had trusted me enough to tell me." 

"I didn't want you to worry. I mean, you've got so much on your mind already," I said, uncomfortably. Then I stopped and thought. "Wait a minute. What other superhero?" 

"Spider-Man." 

What? Oh. _What?! _"You mean Peter's _Spider-Man?_" I squawked. 

"Shh," she said, looking towards the doorway. 

Right. Matt might be listening. "The only reason I'm telling you is that Peter gave me permission to do it. He seems to think it's only fair," Mom said. 

"I can keep a secret," I said, standing up. 

"Apparently so," she answered with a raised eyebrow, guiding me out.   


"So now he's living with you guys?" Max said over the bat-com. 

"They _are_ married, Max," I said back. 

"Yeah, but isn't it weird? I mean, you've got a step-dad all of a sudden." 

"I guess it is, kind of." 

"Is he shway?" 

"He's very shway. I actually have more in common with him than I did with Dad." 

"Is that good?" 

"It's too soon to tell." I settled on the side of a building to get a quick look around. 

"Have you heard from Wayne at all?" Max asked. 

"Nope. I'm kind of starting to get worried about him." 

"He's a tough old guy. I'm sure he's fine. Besides, I kind of like having his job." 

I smiled. The city kind of looked shway from up here. I never really stopped to notice before. 

"Just hanging out?" a voice said from above me. 

I jumped and looked up. Spider-Man was clinging to the wall right over my head. "What are you doing here?" I said, puzzled. 

He shrugged. "Gotham's an open territory. But if you don't think you're up for a little friendly competition, I'll understand." 

It sounded like a genuine offer to walk away from a step-dad worried about stealing the spotlight. It was also a dare from a seventeen-year-old taking his first swing around the block. 

He held out his palm. 

I studied it, doing my best to look in charge and thoughtful. I could use his help, even if we didn't want to work together. One thing about Gotham is that there are plenty of bad guys to go around. Besides, he _needed _this, to prove that he was still a good person, no matter what anyone had done to him. "You're on," I said, slapping his palm. Besides, I never could turn down a good dare. 

"Thanks," Spider-Man said, swinging off. 

"You know him?" Max asked. 

"Kind of," I said with a grin. 

"Boy, you are asking for trouble. Wayne's going to slag you good." 

"Come on, Max, what could he possibly do? Like Spider-Man said, Gotham's an open territory. Besides, Wayne even said it himself. One man can't prevent all the bad things happening in this city. I'm thinking maybe two can." 

"Hm. Just don't say I didn't warn you." 

I wasn't worried. Actually, I could just picture the look on Bruce's face when he finds out. Maybe I should bring a camera. That'd be a real scrapbook moment. I smiled and took off into the night. 

******************************************************************************* 

Paxton Powers was enjoying himself. He had made it away scot free to the Cayman islands, where it was just sun, girls, and margaritas. He hadn't seen a law enforcement officer the whole time he was there, and no one had tried to tap into his bank accounts. He lay on a beach chair, soaking up the sun. "Life can't get any better," he said to himself. 

"Don't be so sure." 

Paxton's eyes flicked up to the speaker in annoyance, and he turned pale despite his tan. 

Bruce Wayne was standing over him with a superior smile.   


  


The End 

**_No, I'm serious, that's really it. Reviews are appreciated and take like two seconds of your time._**   



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